Human Attraction

Is physical attractiveness a direct basis on interpersonal attraction? That is what this study is trying to answer. Self-image, personality and interpersonal relationships can be a direct result of physical attractiveness. Is it indeed true that being more attractive as a direct result of better treatment? If you improve your appearance will you find that more people will find you attractive? That is a rather difficult question to answer, all we can do is assume, and in that get evidence to support our assumptions. This study, composed by Karen Korabik, shows that physical attractiveness is indeed a direct indicator in how people find you attractive and in return treat you better than those who are not considered physically attractive. In particular, the attractiveness of those who have had orthodontic work done and the treatment they receive by others. Take the same person and take a photograph of them before and after orthodontic work, with the same pose, hairstyle and facial expression. Those changes will cause people to consider them more attractive, physically. At least that is what this study will show you and experiment on. Not the physical shape and order of the actual teeth, but the shape and contours of the jaw when the mouth is closed. To answer the questions as listed above we must look at the data collected in the experiment. Forty subjects in all, half or twenty were female and the other half were male. The test subjects were all from an intro to psychology course, with no benefits to their grade for participation. Therefore there was no bias towards the results of the experiment. The hypothesis being "Increases in physical attractiveness of adolescent females brought about by orthodontic treatment would result in increased interpersonal attraction toward them by others."

To compare the hypothesis, an experimental and control group was provided. The experimental showed before and after orthodontic work. The control group, of course, had no work done. This experiment showed two things. One being that the after the orthodontic work, the subjects usually rated the photos in a more positive manner. The second would be that the post-experimental group was usually more positively rated than the control group. This was assumed because the subjects saw a positive change in the experimental group rather than no change in the control group. This information indeed supported the writer's hypotheses of physical attractiveness's effect on interpersonal attraction. The people who had work done were viewed as being more attractive. A study done by Sigall and Aronson, in the year 1969, showed that there was a relationship between physical attractiveness and liking. The study showed an attractive woman who was made to look unattractive by changing her hairstyle, clothing and so on. The results showed that the attractive evaluator that was positive in their evaluations of others were typically liked more by those